Monday, January 26, 2009

I filmed this video recipe for beef sliders with no real intention of editing and posting the results (which explains the yellow buns). Sometimes I'll just turn the camera on, not worry about shadows, angles, quality, etc., and just cook. I felt like some sliders, and if a postable recipe was the result, so be it.

As I worked, I couldn’t help but wonder how a "how to make little hamburgers" video recipe would come off. I'm always afraid of going over that fine line between humorously helpful and annoyingly condescending… "Now we're going to cut the buns in half…see that…through the middle of the bun…I like to use a knife."But, as seemingly obvious as making little burgers may be, I realized there are two main challenges in the slider process. Forming the burgers, and consistently cooking them to the desired doneness. To achieve both I used a muffin tin to shape the burgers, and since they are exactly the same size and shape, they will always cook evenly according to your specific time.

I like mine medium-rare, so I did 3 minutes per side in a nice hot pan. As usual with all burgers, resting is imperative. Your times will vary, depending on fat %, pan used, and heat, but after a couple test sliders you'll know exactly how many minutes per side for the perfect petite haché de boeuf. I would explain the physics, but I'm sure you wouldn’t understand it. Enjoy!

45 comments:

granny
said...

What a great idea for making those uniform pieces of meat for the sliders. What I was really thrilled about was the muffin pan you used looked just like my dogeared muffin pan. I am not ashamed of my very used bake ware anymore. Great sauce for those sliders too.

Indeed White Castle Sliders are far too amazing and unique to replicate. On my trip to my home in Indiana I grabbed a Crave Case of 30 sliders to bring back to our home here in San Diego. You can't get fresh White Castle Sliders west of the Mississippi, only frozen, which nothing like the same thing.

There is another way to get good portions. Use a sheet pan, roll out the meat to the same thickness as the sheet pan, add salt and pepper (which is all good beef needs), and fold in half. Then cook. Pan, grill, whatever, good sliders.

Incidentally, as a former employee of Dairy Queen I can tell you that your secret sauce recipe is the exact same as their's. There's probably some unwritten kitchen rule I'm violating there but I'm ok with that.

First of all, thank you for a great site, it's been my favourite for ages and I visit foodwishes almost daily.This might be a little off-topic, but I've always wondered that is the US scale for doneness different from the European? I mean for us (I'm from Finland) a US medium-rare steak looks kind of medium or even medium-well at some times. We use the French approach: bleu (rare), internal temp max 40 degrees Celcius, saignant (med-rare) 45-50C, a point (medium) 55-60C, bien cuit (med-well) 65C. And that's it. No well done as it comes to tender cuts such as fillets etc.

people try too, but it's too abstract to "teach" it's a feel you get after years and years, and varies for every meat, and every cut and every thickness. That's why I laugh when a TV chefs shows how to do it.

My dad came up with an addition to the recipe--we were out of relish for the sauce, so along with the tomato slice, we added half of a bread and butter pickle slice. They're sweet and tangy and don't take up much space, so they're perfect for sliders. Highly recommended. Thanks for the awesome recipe!

Sorry John, but as good as these look, they're not sliders - they're mini-burgers...See also:http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2008/07/slider-defundefinedion-mini-hamburgers-onions-pickles-steam-awesomeness.html

Awesome!! I'm addicted to your website. I didn't find out how to post a comment until now so...heyho, at least I am posting...

I love cooking, and that secret Slider sauce recipe looked awesome, but I was wondering: What is relish? In the video it looked like some kind of pickle mix. Please answer, I want to make that slider relish sauce! Thanx.

We made the sliders yesterday - exactly as written. They were amazing... even better with the BBQ sauce your wife made... Thanks for the great recipe AND the delicious sauce. We sprinkled the rub in the cupcake tin and on top of the beef too. My kids now think I am so clever!

Hailing from the home of the Krystal, I grew up on sliders. This is a super recipe, and the "secret" sauce is wonderful (though I can't believe DQ keeps any Dijon mustard on the premises). Chef, your secret sauce is very versatile, too. Many thanks.

I made these for dinner tonight and am so pleased with the results...I guess I'm an idiot because I found all the tips very helpful...dividing the meat...the cupcake papers...and especially the muffin tin...I'm not confident cooking meat but like med/rare so I set the timer for 3 minutes and felt a little idiotic but it worked...:-)

Chef John, do you have stovetop non-stick pan, or griddle recommendations? By the time my burgers are done, my oil always seem to be burnt and stuck on after the first round of burgers come off. Or is it me? Is my fire too hot? Am i using too little oil? Should I use a certain type of oil? Thanks!